Why Instagram Story Highlights Are Moving to the Profile Grid & What it Means for creators & Brands
Lindsey Gamble / Instagram Story Highlights
Instagram is testing an updated profile experience that moves Story Highlights to the main profile grid, starting today (November 19th). Highlights will also have their own dedicated tab, similar to Reels. Users can edit their Highlights, choose where they appear, and remove them from the main profile grid if desired.
Why the Test?
Throughout this year, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has expressed interest in consolidating the user profile during his "Ask Me Anything" sessions. In August, a user suggested the ability to customize the order of Story Highlights, to which Mosseri responded:
"I’m also interested if there’s some way to consolidate your grid, which you can curate, and your Story Highlights, which you can also curate. Maybe there’s some way we can allow you to customize all of it."
As in-app notifications for this test started rolling out last week, Mosseri shared this update in response to a question about why Highlights were being moved:
"We’re trying to figure out a way to improve the profile, get more content above the fold, and simplify it […] You will still have control—you can still pin things. There will be a dedicated Highlights tab, but we don’t need to have both POGs and squares, making it all complicated and pushing everything down."
He acknowledged that the change is "contentious" and admitted uncertainty about whether it will work, but emphasized the goal of finding a solution that empowers creators to shape their profiles while simplifying the experience for viewers.
Why This Could Work
While any Instagram change can spark strong reactions, this update could actually improve the user experience. By moving Highlights to the main profile grid alongside Feed Posts and Reels, Instagram is streamlining the profile and creating a central location for all of a creator’s or brand’s content.
This increased visibility could benefit creators and brands, as visitors are more likely to engage with content on the main profile rather than in Highlights. With comments enabled on Stories and the potential for clicks via Link Stickers, this change could lead to more views and engagement.
It also allows for more cohesive storytelling across a creator's profile, with all formats in one place.
With Instagram previously testing vertical profiles, where posts on the profile grid are displayed vertically rather than square, it makes even more sense for Highlights to move. While it's still unknown if Instagram will officially roll out vertical profiles, if it does, Highlights would be a perfect fit due to their vertical orientation.
Instagram’s Quiet Push to Elevate Story Highlights
Carousels and Reels have garnered the most attention in recent conversations about Instagram's content formats this year, but Story Highlights also deserve recognition for how much Instagram has quietly worked on them. Recent tests and experiments include:
At the core of these is increasing the visibility of Highlights, signaling that Instagram views them as a vital part of the platform. This is likely because users are sharing more Stories (which can be curated into Highlights) than Feed Posts. By increasing Highlights' visibility, Instagram may encourage users to share more content in this format over time—myself included.
Personally, I used to curate Highlights frequently, especially for brand partnerships, but haven’t updated mine since 2021. Many creators still use Highlights, particularly for curating product recommendations and sharing links, but it generally feels like there has been less usage of Highlights in recent times. However, all these changes could shift that trend.
Looking Ahead
If Instagram successfully rolls out this update, a potential future change could involve making Story Highlights eligible to appear in the Reels tab, similar to how single Photos and Carousels with music are featured. Across platforms like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, we’ve seen a growing trend toward creating more unified, yet personalized, feeds that feature a variety of content formats. I believe this trend will only continue going forward.
